Knightly Order of The Empire
' The Empire' is home to the many Knightly Orders that protect its boundaries and peoples. These are cults and brotherhoods of elite, armoured warriors that recruit from the sons of Imperial nobles. An Empire army is as reliant on its heavy cavalry provided by the Knightly Orders as it is the solid blocks of infantry and devastating war machines. The noble-born warriors of the Empire do not form part born of any state's standing army, for to do so would mean to rub shoulders with the common soldiery. Instead, they typically fight for one of the Knightly Orders of the Empire; heroic brotherhoods of warriors who ride into battle atop mighty barded warhorses. A part of the Empire that is purely Teuton is the creation and maintenence of the Knightly Orders. The Knightly Orders of The Empire are religious, and aristocratic in a way that is unlike the rest of Europe, and was a hot bed of contention between the Knights of Bretonia and The Empire during their times together. There are basically three kinds of Knightly Orders in The Empire in the form of the Religous Orders, Military Orders, and Aristocratic Orders. The Religious Orders are based around the specific different religous that exist within the Empire and for this reason they are vastly Sigmar related throughout, but with a concentration of Ulric in the province of Middenheim. The Military Orders are usually created by High Rankings commanders in order to defend specific areas, or people and in this way they are perhaps the most powerful of the three kingds of knightly orders. The third and final are the aristocratic and these are the orders that the richest members of Emperian society send their children into in order to gain a reputation for their children. Knightly Orders To become a member of one of the Empire's select brotherhoods of Knightly Orders, a noble must forsake s his feudal responsibilities and rights of inheritance and then pass a rigorous rite of initiation. There are many of these brotherhoods throughout the Empire. Some are small in size and their members are recruited from the local aristocracy, such as the Knights Griffon and the Knights of the Broken Sword. Other Orders restrict their membership to devout worshippers of a particular god. These are often referred to as knights templar, and they include such orders as the Black Guard of Morr and the zealous Knights of Sigmar's Blood. Whilst every Knightly Order will have a primary temple in one city-state or province, most will also state maintain subsidiary temples across the length and breadth of the Empire. Every Empire knight bears his rank and Order's night symbols upon his shield or armour as heraldic devices and other icons of importance and symbolic meaning. The most famous Orders in the Empire have histories stretching back centuries and their chapter houses are hung with ancient banners and battle trophies. The three largest and most influential Orders are the Knights Panther, the Knights of the White Wolf. and the Knights of the Blazing Sun. Knights owe their allegiance directly to their lord: the Elector Count of their province. The Count can call upon his knights to come to arms and fight as pan of his army. When a Count musters his forces all the knights from an order fight together, forming individual units of Knights Panther. Knights of the Blazing Sun. and so forth. Reiksgaurd Knights See Also : Reiksgaurd Knights : '' Reiksguard Knights, your Emperor is calling! Death or glory await us, but if we die, we will die as warriors, with swords in hand, and there can be better death then that.'' : -Kurt Helborg The Reiksguard Knights are the personal army of the Emperor. As an Elector Count, the Emperor also has direct command of his own provincial army — which in the case of Karl Franz are the regiments of Altdorf and the Reikland — but it is the knights of the Reiksguard that form the symbol of his military strength. The Reiksguard forms an elite core of highly trained, expensively-equipped troops who are loyal to the Emperor in person. As the best troops available to the Emperor, the Reiksguard Knights form the core of the Imperial household guard, both on the field of battle as well as at other, more stately, functions. The Reiksguard accompanies the Emperor on campaign and during diplomatic and political tours throughout the Empire and abroad. However, it is not uncommon for the Emperor to attach a unit of these renowned warriors peror to fight alongside another Elector Count's army. In doing so, the Emperor is effectively lending the count his personal support for the upcoming struggle. The Reiksguard Knights form the bodyguard of the Emperor. The Order was first founded during the reign mperor. of Wilhelm, the first Emperor of the lineage of the Princes of Altdorf. Devout Templars of Sigmar, Reiksguard Knights swear to give their lives to protect the Emperor, who is the living incarnation of Sigmar. The Reiksguard are much loved throughout the Empire. When a dashing young Reiksguard returns to his home town on leave he is greeted by cheering citizens, and riotous celebrations carry on long into the night. When they accompany the Emperor on his many ceremonial processions they add to the splendour and magnificence of the occasion by dint of their awesome appearance and fabulously expensive armour. During the annual Imperial tournament the Reiksguard compete against each other for the honour of being closest to the Emperor. These events are a major highlight of the year attracting citizens from all over the Empire and beyond. Knights of the Black Bear See Also : Knights of the Black Bear Easily the most boisterous of all the Knightly Orders within the Empire, the Knights of the Black Bear maintain a fortress on the borders of Averland as well as a Chapterhouse in Averheim itself. Close as they are to the haunted land of Sylvania and the Or Worlds Edge Mountains, the Bears of Averland do not lack for opportunities to prove their martial valor. Even so, the Knights have often found themselves without a foe and have thus fashioned a series of martial tournaments to provide an outlet for their energies (they had previously engaged in the practice of Halfling coursing — outlawed in 2402). These tourneys test all facets of what the Black Bear perceive to be Knightly skills and include such feats as swordplay, horsemanship, and of course, qauffling. The enthusiastic and brazen nature of the Order means they pay no heed tothe numbers that they face. But, this can also work against them on occasion, tend to argue among each other instead of fighting the foe. Where the name of the Order originates is a source of much debate. The official story, as put forward by the Bears themselves, speaks of a noble-yet Knight having to wrestle a great bear to save a lady of noble birth who had become lost in the wilderness. Recognizing the nobility of his deed and being possessed of great wealth, she presented her savior with a gift of monies, which he used to found a Order house in Averheim. It is in this memory that each of the Order's tournaments is opened by the Grand Master wrestling a bear — a practice that can lead to a great many Grand Masters coming and going in the space of a year. Other, violently suppressed rumors indicate that there was no such incident and that the Order takes its name from a tavern of the same name in Averheim. Knights Griffon See Also : Knights Griffon The Knights Griffon is a relatively young order by comparison to many of the other knightly orders of the Empire, founded by Magnus the Pious in 2305. The order is responsible for guarding the High Temple of Sigmar, as well as keeping senior members of safe whenever they travel abroad. The Knights Griffon are arguably the most drilled and militaristic Order in the modern Empire. Their daily rituals mostly consist of strict martial training. A veteran Knight Griffon is the epitome of discipline and soldiery on the field of battle. He is able and willing to hold his ground, attack, or retreat in good order should the situation require it. The Knights Griffon were founded in the year 2305 by Emperor Magnus the Pious as part of his rebuilding of the Empire after the Great War against Chaos. Magnus requested one hundred of the most loyal and devout Knights Panther to join him at his court in Nuln, where he formed an Order of devout Templars directly responsible for the protection of the Temple to Sigmar in the Empire's then-capital. The Knights were deeply honored by this selection and accepted the offer, and the Order of Knights Griffon was incepted. When the crown passed to the Princes of Altdorf in 2429, the Knights Griffon moved their Chapterhouse to the Cathedral of Sigmar in Altdorf to maintain their vow to protect the heart of Sigmar's realm. As a result, there is some animosity between the Knights Griffon and the Reiksguard of whom views the other as imposing on their traditional role. Templars of Sigmar See Also : Templars of Sigmar The Order of the Templars of Sigmar, universally known as the Witch Hunters, is an organization dedicated to the eradication of heretics, be they warlocks, witches, sorcerers, fortune-tellers, necromancers, worshippers of the dark gods, deviants, mutants, blasphemers, sinners, utterers of profanities, servants of Daemons, or composers of corrupting music. Indeed, there are few who altogether escape the suspicions of the Witch Hunters with the possible exception of other Witch Hunters. They often wear black clothes, large rimmed hates and black or brown capes. They favour the use of the pistol and sword but carry many types of weapons. The symbol of the order is a silver hammer of Sigmar, often worn as a necklace. Although a Knightly Order, the mysterious group known simply as the Templars of Sigmar are a world away from the warriors in shining armour of popular image, so much so that they rarely refer to themselves as knights. Instead they battle the foes of Sigmar from the shadows, dealing with subtle and insidious threats such as Chaos cults and reclusive necromancers. In particular they excel at battling users of sorcery, as magic and trickery are tools often used by the servants of darkness. All that most common folk see of the Templars of Sigmar are the elaborate trials and fiery executions used to cleanse the souls of the wicked, and because of this they are most often known simply as Witch Hunters”. Knights of the Twin-tailed Orb See Also : Knights of the Twin-tailed Orb The Knights of the Twin-tailed Orb are a highly religious Order located high in the Worlds Edge Mountains. Believing that Sigmar has become one with the comet and looks down upon the Empire searching for worthy warriors to join him in his celestial abode, the members of this Order fight with a terrible ferocity, giving little heed to the possibility of death. The Knights of the Twin-Tailed Orb are followers of Sigmar, named after the two-tailed comet that heralded Sigmar’s appearance among mortals. Like other Sigmarite orders they are renowned for their zeal and fervour. In particular the knights of the Twin Orb are famous for their eagerness to prevent the escape of a single tainted foe, and will relentlessly pursue fleeing enemies even when it would m tactical sense to regroup. Organization Grandmasters : To lead admirable knights into honourable combat against the Chaos is a credit to their commander. And to stand and lead such a band as you is an honoured blessing as if from the gods themselves. : -Ancient Grandmaster Greater even than a Knight of the Inner Circle is the Grand Master, and it is he who commands a Knightly Order. A Grand Master is a warrior and leader of unparalleled valour, having fought in dozens of battles, and whose military prowess is beyond question. An Elector Count can request that a Knightly Order fight alongside his army, but the decision to ride out lies e solely with the Grand Master. This makes the Grand Master a very powerful ally, and great care is taken not to offend them. A condition of his Order's aid may be that he himself takes command of the army. Most Elector Counts are only too happy for a general of such superlative ability to lead his soldiers, though this has not always proven to be the case, and ego, ambition or sheer lunacy has sometimes resulted in a Knightly Order withholding its aid. The grand masters are some of the most well-known military men of the Empire, admired known by the aristocracy (to whom they invariably belong) and common people alike. The grand master is expected to be a paragon of knighthood, and as such must display both great physical prowess and knowledge on subjects such as history and warfare. In times of war the grand masters regularly take to the field of battle alongside their knights, inspiring them with the same sort of awe the knights themselves e inspire in the common soldiery. A grandmaster is not only one of the most fearsome warriors in the Old World, but also a legendary commander and leader of men. There are very few grandmasters in the Old World, for even amongst those Category:Knights